Siding with a preliminary decision by state regulators, an administrative law judge Tuesday recommended denial of plans by Nemours Children’s Hospital to offer pediatric heart transplants and heart and lung transplants.

Three hospitals in Marion and Citrus counties are challenging a state decision to sign off on a new 66-bed hospital in Marion County, according to documents posted Thursday on the state Division of Administrative Hearings website.

Gov. Rick Scott’s long-standing priority to eliminate Florida’s certificate of need program for Florida hospitals came to a halt Monday, after a member of a powerful panel withdrew a proposal that would have overhauled the current hospital-approval system.

With the sponsor taking aim at Florida’s controversial “certificate of need” law, the Constitution Revision Commission on Wednesday advanced a proposal that would tie new hospital growth in the state to hospital-acquired infection rates at existing facilities.

The Florida House is ready to take up two familiar healthcare reform measures Wednesday. Supporters say both bills will make care more accessible and more affordable. The plans face uphill battles in the Senate.

A dispute over cuts to hospitals is one of the reasons Florida lawmakers had to postpone their final votes on the new state budget to this week. It was finally approved and sent to Governor Rick Scott, where its future is uncertain. Health News Florida's Stephanie Colombini talks about those hospital cuts and other key health issues this session with Kathleen McGrory, health reporter for the Tampa Bay Times.

In the latest ruling in Florida's "certificate of need" battles, an administrative law judge said this week that the state should reject a proposal by Baptist Hospital of Miami to establish an inpatient bone-marrow transplant program.

When officials at Nemours Children’ Hospital in Orlando tried to establish a pediatric heart transplant center, they learned how restricting a state law regulating the opening of new health facilities can be.

As Florida's 2017 legislative session prepares to start March 7, the debate about repealing what is known as the "certificate of need" regulatory process has expanded to include nursing homes and hospice facilities — and has touched off a new wave of lobbying by industry groups.

The House will begin moving forward next week with proposals to chip away at health-care regulations, including a plan to eliminate the controversial "certificate of need" process.

The Health Innovation Subcommittee on Wednesday is scheduled to take up a series of bills, including a measure (HB 7), filed by Rep. Alex Miller, R-Sarasota, that would eliminate certificates of need for hospitals, nursing homes and hospice facilities.

The Florida Supreme Court is declining to take up an appeal by the state Agency for Health Care Administration in a dispute about whether a Baker County hospital can challenge the approval of a potential competitor in nearby Jacksonville.

State lawmakers continue to butt heads on healthcare reform, specifically where new hospitals can be built. Both chambers want to improve access to healthcare, but they disagree on rules for hospital construction.

A Senate committee Tuesday approved a bill that could help boost efforts to build new or replacement hospitals in rural counties.

Approved by the Senate Health Policy Committee, SB 236 would expand an exemption to the state's "certificate of need" regulatory process for hospital construction or expansion projects. The state currently has a narrow exemption that applies to hospitals in counties with populations of 15,000 to 18,000 people and densities of fewer than 30 people per square mile.

Grappling with an issue that is a priority of House leaders, a Senate committee Monday stopped short of supporting the full repeal of a controversial regulatory process that helps determine whether new hospitals can be built.

As lawmakers grapple with healthcare costs, they’re taking another look at rules governing where health care centers can be built. Those rules are called certificate of need. A scaled-down version of a bill addressing certificate of need is in play, but it’s not without controversy.